Rolling Meadows' Murphy earns Daily Herald MVP honor
Rolling Meadows junior forward Jared Murphy has earned Daily Herald MVP honors for his recent boys basketball performances.
Jared Murphy, Rolling Meadows: The 6-foot-4 junior forward had back-to-back big games, helping the Mustangs earn a weekend split. In a 50-49 Friday loss to Elk Grove, Murphy put up a game-high 27 points. He followed up with a career-high 32 points as Rolling Meadows outlasted Maine East 77-75 in double overtime.
Ryuji Aoki, Stevenson: The graduation of the state's best backcourt didn't leave the Patriots without a sweet shooter. The senior guard scored 10 of his 15 points (three 3-pointers) in the third quarter in helping the Patriots clinch a share of the North Suburban Lake title with a 52-40 win over Lake Zurich. He also had 15 points as the Pats beat Lake Forest 65-46.
Peter Blust, Hinsdale Central: The Red Devils pulled out two wins by a total of 5 points - including their sixth overtime game of the season - behind the play of their 6-foot-7 senior forward. Blust totaled 20 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in a 56-54 overtime win over Proviso West in the West Suburban Silver. The next night Blust had 12 points, 9 rebounds and blocked five shots in a 46-43 come-from-behind nonconference win at Glenbard East.
Hunter Weber, Marmion: This 5-foot-10 guard became Marmion's career 3-point field goal leader when he sank 3 shots from long range in a 17-point performance during a loss to Loyola Academy, increasing his single-season total to 127. The senior led the Cadets with 22 points the following night, a total fueled by six more 3-pointers, to pace a 79-70 win over rival Aurora Christian.